Latest R train station closure at Prospect Avenue coming June 5

Another Brooklyn R train station — the one at Prospect Avenue — is poised to close for renovations, on Monday June 5.

The complete closure follows on the heels of the shutdown of the Bay Ridge Avenue station on April 29 and the 53rd Street station on March 27.

The inconvenience has commuters worried. “Travelers now need to walk to either Ninth or 25th Street for the train,” pointed out Lauren Epifanio, who uses the station every day. “This will add travel time to the commute.”

The 53rd Street station closed amid complaints that too little notification had been provided to riders, and that little attention had been paid to the various languages spoken in Sunset Park; when the Bay Ridge Avenue station closed, there were concerns about the lack of alternative arrangements, such as shuttle buses, to help commuters during the shutdown, given the distance between stops.

While it hasn’t made any special arrangements yet to accommodate riders who use the Prospect Avenue station, the MTA is advising commuters to use the B37 or B63 buses to access the next stations in either direction, with the authority noting that, “New York City Transit staff will closely monitor these alternative routes and make service adjustments if necessary.”

According to the MTA, the $72 million Enhanced Station Initiative will bring modern technology to renovated stations, as well as improved amenities for riders.

Among the features of the renovated stations, according to the MTA, are, “new entrances with canopies and electronic display screens, brighter lighting on platforms and other elements such as benches or leaning bars.”

Also part of the renovations are security cameras and Help Point intercoms, digital access to “real-time arrival information,” wi-fi and cellular connectivity, new art installations, charging stations for electronics and new platform edges.

“Once the renovations at Prospect Avenue are complete in fall, 2017 and all three stations are fully reopened, this first group of upgraded stations will show customers that these temporary closures were well worth the wait,” said New York City Transit Acting President Darryl Irick. “The stations will have amenities that our customers use every day, which means everyone who takes the subway in those communities can reap the benefits of improved features like redesigned wayfinding and brighter, more comfortable platform environments.”

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